No longer trying to keep their side conversation private, Tansy replied, “They can’tread? Wow.”
Jack shoved his list into his pocket, deciding to leave the final item,Question, off the agenda. “All right,” he said. “This is over. Everybody, get to work.”
She didn’t move out of his way. “I have more to discuss with you.”
Jack sighed. “You know, you seem like a resourceful woman. You got yourself a building here on our grounds despite having nothing to offer in return.”
“Nothing—” she cut in, offended.
But he was done letting her control his meeting, his space. “Something tells me y’all can figure out how to handle whatever your issues are. Or, hey, if the building we gave you isn’t up to your standards, feel free to try Liberty Park up the road. It’s got a partially covered pavilion I’m sure you could sweet-talk your way into.”
She put her hands on her hips, squaring for a fight, but it was empty bluster. When he stepped forward, she moved back to let him pass. In a tight voice that fought for civility, she said, “I will be holding our first story time Monday at ten. Here, I guess. Do I need to reserve the space?”
“Nah. It’s all yours.”
He stalked back to the Gator Ian had parked at the edge of the courtyard. Ian joined him in the passenger seat, and Jack floored it toward the back property. Over the wind, he snapped, “That went fucking great.”
Ian scratched his head, peering over his shoulder toward the courtyard. “Might have gone better with snacks.”
5
Tansy
“That was completely pointless,” Tansy growled, stomping toward their shed.
Kai jogged to catch up, grabbing her by the arm when she didn’t slow down. “Dude.”
“What?” she snapped.
Kai raised their hands, eyes wide. “You’re freaking out Marianne.”
Marianne, Tansy wanted to point out, was freaked out byeverything, and maybe, as a fully grown twenty-eight-year-old woman, she could stand to be coddled less.
But the bitter thought immediately cut through Tansy’s anger. She was the leader here. She couldn’t give in to despair.
Maybe Jack wasn’t going to make anything easier for them. In fact, maybe he was hoping they’d fail quickly and get out of his gardens before their four months were even up. But Tansy was used to fighting from behind, and other thanBriar, nothing mattered more to her right now than saving her library.
She took a cleansing breath. “Sorry. You’re right.”
The others caught up, and Tansy switched into problem-solving mode. “Forget all that. We still have a lot to do to get this place clean. Except for you, Irma. I want you on socials. Progress videos. Maybe one showing the way from the front gate, but don’t push yourself too hard.”
“On it,” Irma said.
They arrived at the shed to find the pressure washer waiting for them, and after they all took in the multiple stickers warning of severe bodily harm, Kai volunteered as tribute. They aimed the high-powered spray at the side of the building, making percussive machine-gun noises with their mouth then shouting to Irma, who was recording, “This is really satisfying!”
Itwas, actually. The dirt ran down the dingy green siding, revealing a pretty shade of mint underneath.
“Looks like we have ourselves a little green library,” Irma said.
“That’s what we should call it,” Marianne added.
When the whole exterior was clean, Tansy had Irma film again as she pulled open the door. “Day one, part two!” she announced brightly. “We’re hard at work in our newly washed Little Green Library.”
Then something darted out from beneath the shed and clawed up the inside of her skirt.
—
The video had gone viralby the next afternoon, when Tansy left to meet Charlie and Briar at a gas station halfway between Houston and Dallas. In the clip she was allsmiles, yanking open the door, when suddenly, she jumped high enough to warrant a comment from the WNBA’s official account and screamed, “Bobcat!”
